Kate Upton walked into the 2026 ESPY Awards in New York on July 15 looking like she had decided blue was the only color that mattered that night. Strapless Schiaparelli, gold sandals, husband Justin Verlander at her side — the kind of arrival that makes the sports awards feel like a fashion show for twenty seconds.
The Look: Electric-Blue Schiaparelli
The dress is a strapless midi from Schiaparelli’s Fall/Winter 2025 ready-to-wear, cut like a bustier through the torso and finished just below the knee. The fabric is an electric blue with a raised, almost crocodile embossing that catches the flash in ridges, so the same dress reads navy in one light and neon in the next. A high slit on her left leg keeps the narrow skirt from looking stiff and puts the gold sandals in play.
She kept the rest of it simple on purpose. Gold Christian Louboutin Millennium sandals with thin straps, a slicked-back ponytail with one soft piece near the face, and almost no jewelry fighting the neckline. The texture does the work usually left to a necklace, which is the whole point of the look.
A Sports Night With a Fashion Arrival
The ESPYs are ESPN’s annual awards show, held this year in New York City. Upton has been on that carpet before, and she still treats it like a proper red carpet rather than a casual plus-one night. Posing with Verlander against the ESPYS step-and-repeat, she gave photographers the full-length view of the slit, the sandals and the embossed blue — six angles of the same idea, all of them sharp.
It fits the year she has been having: less film press, more public appearances where the outfit is the headline. When a Sports Illustrated cover model shows up in couture-adjacent ready-to-wear at a sports awards show, the crossover is the story.
Where You Know Her From
Most people still clock her as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit star who took three covers, including the 2017 Fiji shoot that leaned into the “strong and healthy” era of the brand. On screen she is the blonde force of nature in The Other Woman — start with the beach scene and the ending scene — and later the vacation chaos of The Layover pool scene.
Every scene we cover is ranked on our Kate Upton hub.
Kate Upton at the 2026 ESPY Awards: Photos
FAQ
What did Kate Upton wear to the 2026 ESPY Awards?
A strapless electric-blue Schiaparelli midi dress with embossed texture and a high left-leg slit, paired with gold Christian Louboutin sandals and a slicked-back ponytail.
Where were the 2026 ESPY Awards held?
In New York City, on July 15, 2026.